Trampas Lakes Fishing Guide, Taos County, New Mexico

• Overview

  Set in Taos County, Trampas Lakes is a New Mexico water. The bank gives way to mixed forest. At roughly 3 acres, the whole thing is within casting reach of a single walk. On size it sits at the modest end of our Taos County list. Nearest town is Chimayo, 17 miles off. Albuquerque is the closest city, 85 miles away. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Trampas Lakes

  Depth remains unrecorded, so treat the first session as a survey. Read the surface for the wind lane, then fish the edge of it. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. Reported across Taos County: cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, white sucker and brown trout. Read it as a county summary, not a water-by-water list. The near bank of Trampas Lakes is often the one people ignore.

• Seasonal Patterns

  In an average year July sits at 51°F and January at 18°F. A solid cap is the normal state through winter. Hard water holds through the cold months, breaking up near mid May. Ice usually gives way near mid May, and forms again about mid November. Right after break-up, and again as the nights sharpen, is when to go. It sets the rhythm of the year at Trampas Lakes.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. No launch point is recorded nearby, so this is a bank water unless you carry a boat in. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. Bank access can be seasonal on ground like this. Where the way in crosses private ground, ask first. The nearest alternative is Hidden Lake, 0.8 miles out. For Trampas Lakes in particular, ask before you travel.